NFL Teams Up with Tiger Woods' TMRW Sports to Launch Professional Flag Football League
TMRW Sports won the NFL's competitive bid to operate a new professional flag football league backed by $32 million in NFL investment — the company's first venture outside of golf.
At a Glance
- TMRW Sports (Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy's company) won the NFL's bid to operate a new professional flag football league, beating out about a dozen competitors
- The NFL is investing $32 million to get the league off the ground, with a target launch before the 2028 LA Olympics
- This is TMRW Sports' first venture outside of golf, backed by investors including Arthur Blank, Josh Allen, Larry Fitzgerald, Lewis Hamilton, and Steph Curry
The NFL has selected TMRW Sports — the venture co-founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and media executive Mike McCarley in 2022 — as its operational partner to launch a new professional flag football league in the United States. TMRW Sports emerged from a competitive bid process that included roughly a dozen other groups.
NFL owners voted in December to authorize the search for a partner and invest up to $32 million to support the creation of the new league.
TMRW Sports' Track Record
TMRW Sports is best known for running TGL, an indoor golf league now in its second season, and recently announced a women's version (WTGL) launching later this year. This flag football deal marks the company's first expansion beyond golf.
The company boasts a long list of high-profile investors including Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Vikings owner Mark Wilf, Crystal Palace shareholder David Blitzer, and celebrities such as Lewis Hamilton, Steph Curry, and Justin Timberlake. Current and former NFL players like Josh Allen, Larry Fitzgerald, and Tony Romo are also backers.
The Bigger Picture
Flag football is being positioned as the next big thing — it was the centerpiece of this year's NFL Pro Bowl and is set to debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Flag football participation in the U.S. grew 15% from 2019 through 2024. The NFL sees the professional league as a way to build a complete development pathway from youth programs through elite competition.